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10 Unexpected Things Every Business Plan Needs
All great businesses may start with an idea, but the first step toward turning your idea into reality is creating a well-thought-out business plan.
BusinessNewsDaily asked 10 experts to help us create a business plan template to help you get started. Each cited something nontraditional that they said every business plan must have. The 10 things are:
A review of the competition
If companies focus only on themselves in their business plan, they are making a big mistake. Businesses should use their business plan partly to address the competition.
"It is important to know your competition and how your business differs," said Ashley Lafaye Nelson, a personal finance coach, creator of The Bow Bank, and founder of B.O.W. Life. "You do not want to be placed into a substitution category. Clearly outlining your competitors' strengths and weaknesses in your business plan will help your business position itself over the competition."
Companies that want to be innovative must make it a priority from the start. To accomplish this, companies should highlight the importance of innovation in a business plan.
"Innovation must be a critical component of every business plan," said Amy Hutchens, business strategist and CEO of AmyK International, which specializes in executive development. "By making innovation part of the plan, the process becomes intentional, not reactive or accidental, and sets the stage for a culture of creativity and innovation for the long run."
A contingency plan
Since it is highly unlikely that you will start a business without ultimately having to make significant changes, business plans should allow for change.
"In a digital era where businesses iterate much faster, it's vital to include a contingency in your business plan for knowing when you need to shift," said Justin Palmer, founder and CEO of MedSaverCard, a free prescription drug card to help users save money. "An example of a contingency might be: 'If we do not have 1,000 paying customers within six months of operations, we need to shift product focus.' A metric such as this is especially vital if your business operates on the Web or builds software. A business plan is great, but there's no point in sticking with a failing plan for too long."
Preparation for success
On the other hand, businesses also should use their business plan to prepare for unexpected success.
"When creating a business plan, be sure to set up contingencies for a normal scenario and an insanely successful scenario," said Elle Kaplan, CEO of Lexion Capital Management, an investment management firm. "When I started my business, I was in no way prepared for the success and level of growth we obtained. I should have planned bigger and prepared for faster growth versus being surprised and having to rework my plan."
Commitment to follow
Business plans are not much good unless companies and employees follow them. For that reason, companies and employees should be committed to follow the points included in a business plan.
"The business plan should include a signed commitment by the leadership team," Bob Shirilla, marketing director of online retail stores Keepsakes Etc. and Simply Bags. "This ensures that the leaders understand and will support the business plan. Consensus decision-making is key to moving a company forward. Many organizations fail to achieve their goals because of lack of understanding and buy-in to the plan."
Exit plan
Although it may be the last thing on your mind when starting a business, providing an exit strategy with your business plan can be a great help later on in the life of a business.
"Most people start a business without thinking about what they want to get out of it," said Nate Bunger, a serial entrepreneur who started four businesses, including LinkBuilders, an online business consulting firm. "But every business plan needs an exit plan. The main goal behind starting a business, aside from providing value to customers, is to build an asset to sell. When and for how much? This needs to be understood before ever starting a company."
A way to implement the plan
A business plan is only as good as the ability to implement it. For that reason, Linda Pophal, author of "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Strategic Planning" (Penguin, 2011), says all business plans should include a guide to implementing the plan's ideas.
One of the key challenges for businesses "is actually implementing the plan," said Pophal, who is owner and CEO of Strategic Communications, a company that helps health care, education, not-for-profit organizations and consultants maximize their communication strategies. "I think that is because often by the time the planning process is over the team is exhausted and burned out and they have a tendency to just go back to doing things the way they've always done them."
For companies to succeed, they must effectively reach their target demographic. However, a business plan also should look to target customers by factors such as lifestyle, needs and desires.
"These days it's not enough just to include demographic information (age, gender, income, etc.) about your potential customers in your business plan," said Amber Goodenough, founder of the OnRamp, which helps businesses formulate their business plans. "Psychographics ?or customer values, lifestyles, habits and interests ?give you a deeper insight into your customers' needs, wants and frustrations' which then helps you create products and services that really meet those needs and solves their problems. And the better you do that, the more money you make."
A social media strategy
As social media continues to grow in popularity, business plans need to highlight how to turn the use of social media into a strategic advantage.
"One thing that every business should include in their business plan is how they intend to leverage social media and social networking as a means to drive business to their website or storefront business," said Stephanie Ciccarelli, co-founder and chief marketing officer at Voices.com, an online marketplace that connects businesses with voice-over talent. "These efforts may also tap into a company's advertising, search engine optimization and customer service efforts. No business plan should be without a section dedicated to the use of Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest or Google+ as part of their marketing efforts and channel for supporting and engaging customers."
A way to keep employees engaged
A business plan should be sure to focus on how companies will keep their employees engaged.
"Never forget a systematic way to keep all employees engaged in the business and focused on their responsibilities," said Bill Rosenthal, CEO of Communispond, a company that provides employee skills training. "The plan must include ways to show employees their well-being aligns with that of the company; establish metrics for everyone's performance; and spell out the rewards for meeting the metrics."
Follow David Mielach on Twitter @D_M89 or BusinessNewsDaily @bndarticles. We're also on Facebook & Google+.


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Talk:Capital punishment
Anyone else think the new section is too much of an editorial and that it doesn't fit with the rest of the article's contention that there's no definite Orthodox view? Gabriela 06:56, February 27, 2007 (PST)
While I am confident that the early and authentic tradition of our Church is opposed to capital punishment, I am sad to say that there is more than one position on this issue today. Moreover, I do object to editorials posing as encyclopedia articles. --Fr Lev 07:10, February 27, 2007 (PST)
- I'm not protesting the content of the article itself, though I do think there are a couple weak points (e.g., isn't it obvious that to strike someone a mortal blow means to kill them?). But I'm honestly not sure what to think about capital punishment.
- However, this is clearly a submitted article and should be put under that heading, not in the middle of another article of an entirely different style. It seems very strange for the intro and end sections to say that there's no single Church position and the middle to assert a very definite position. As such, it would be nice to know who the author is and put it under the links at the bottom, where it more properly belongs. Gabriela 20:36, February 27, 2007 (PST)
- Hello all, the section was posted by user:Haahab. There is no further information relevant to the author. Is it too harsh to move it to his or her user page? --Cat68 02:47, March 6, 2007 (PST)
I have edited the language of the article I submitted as best I can please notify me for any corrections.
I removed Brazil from the list of countries, which have capital punishment because we don't have it here. -- alternativo 19:43, March 8, 2008 (PST)

subset: commoncrawl


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What Employee Stock Ownership Plans Mean For Entrepreneurs Partial ownership of your business is one way to reward employees. A new bill proposed in Senate this week encourages such employee stock ownership plans. Here are the pros and cons for your business.
By Ryan Himmel •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Every small business owner will eventually need to think about a succession plan if they don't try to sell their company outright. This week, a bi-partisan supported bill was introduced in the Senate to encourage one option -- giving your employees partial ownership in your business over time with what's called employee stock ownership plans (ESOPs). The bill specifically intends to remove the barriers for S Corporations to establish ESOPs as well as provides S Corps with similar tax incentives to those offered to C Corporations. Small-business owners who are heavily invested in their companies may want to consider this option.
What exactly is an ESOP?
Think of a 401(k) plan, except the funds employees are awarded are invested directly into a trust that acquires shares from the small-business owner over time. The employees will essentially be earning shares from their boss. Of course, there's more to it. The company generally benefits by making a tax-deductible contribution to the trust and the small-business owner can sell stock at a lower capital gains tax rate, as opposed to being subject to the higher ordinary income tax rate levied on profit withdrawals.
Related: Some Small Businesses See Obamacare as Welcome Relief
Should you set up an ESOP?
This really depends on the company size, small-business owner and employees. For very small companies, setting up and maintaining an ESOP could be a very daunting task. The cost alone to hire ESOP specialists, valuation experts and attorneys can offset many of the benefits in the early years. There's also the big risk for valuation mistakes and the company not performing as well as another retirement account. On the other hand, an ESOP should be strongly considered for companies that have a long track record of success and high employee retention rates.
What are the benefits of the plan?
It provides for a clear and tax friendly way for a small-business owner to realize the value they've created in their company. They also have the option to defer tax liability from the sale to later years by investing the proceeds in replacement property via a Section 1042 transaction. The other benefit, and in some cases the most important one for the small-business owner, is that it provides incentives for their employees to stay with the company and keep it going years after the owner retires.
Related: To Boost Efficiency, Rethink Company Culture
What are the drawbacks?
In theory, the ESOP makes a lot of sense to the small-business owner and their employees because of its succession incentive. But it's not all peaches and cream. Many small businesses are private companies that need to rely heavily on outside third parties to value the stock at various periods for marking to market the shares. It's extremely difficult and costly to do this and it can be very hurtful to the employees should the shares they purchase be overvalued.
ESOP critics also question whether it is in employees' best interest to tie their entire retirement to the company's success. This is a valid point as it's important to have a fair amount of diversification in your retirement account and you wouldn't want to put all your eggs in one basket. If you're actively building other retirement accounts such as IRAs or Roth IRAs, that's a different story.
What does the Obama Administration think about ESOPs?
There is also the risk of regulatory changes in the future. It's possible that this administration will work to eliminate many of the incentives for creating an ESOP plan as they've hinted with their latest proposal.
If you happened to review President Obama's 2014 budget proposal, you would notice that ESOP provision IRC Section 404(k) was eliminated from the budget. By removing this section, the Obama administration is discouraging ESOP creation and operation as it specifically relates to large C Corporations. As mentioned previously, one of the benefits in ESOPs is that it allows companies to deduct the value of dividends paid on ESOP stock passed through to employees. This was never a benefit for S Corporations and other entities, so one can position that Obama is trying to penalize larger companies.
In the end, you'll need to weigh the pluses and minuses for an ESOP plan as it specifically relates to your company and goals. Don't be afraid to ask your employees what they think about the plan.


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A Poem About Jesus in Haiti
Jesus in Haiti
After the Earthquake
Do you consider safety, or your health,
A sign from me?
I am not awed by might, nor struck by wealth,
Or poverty.
O, I am struck! And crushed. Buried, I wince,
And dying, pray,
A sympathetic Priest in Port-au-Prince,
Even today.
But there, in those United States the boot
Is on my face.
"Saul, Saul," I ask, "Why do you persecute
And not embrace?"
Your King, I lift my arms to you in peace
And patient grief;
And summon now to Haiti enemies
For my relief.


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Payment of Certain Travel Expenses
§ 416.1495. Payment of certain travel expenses—general.
When you file a claim for supplemental security income (SSI) benefits, you may incur certain travel expenses in pursuing your claim. Sections 416.1496 through 416.1499 explain who may be reimbursed for travel expenses, the types of travel expenses that are reimbursable, and when and how to claim reimbursement. Generally, the agency that requests you to travel will be the agency that reimburses you. No later than when it notifies you of the examination or hearing described in § 416.1496(a), that agency will give you information about the right to travel reimbursement, the right to advance payment and how to request it, the rules on means of travel and unusual travel costs, and the need to submit receipts.
[51 FR 8810, Mar. 14, 1986]


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Skip to Main Content
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Garbage (Solid Waste) and Recycling
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Do you have a large number of members in your household?
Some helpful tips to reducing waste include:
Recycle more – information on what is accepted at the curb and at the depot can be found on the
Recycle BC Website
or on the
Waste Management website
Backyard Compost – information on how to purchase a composter through the regional district for just $40; and how to be Bear Aware while backyard composting please visit
Revelstoke Bear Aware
Choose to buy products which don't contain a lot of packaging.
Plan food purchases and meals to reduce food spoilage and the amount of food you put in the garbage.
If you are unable to reduce your garbage to one container you can put out additional bag containers provided they have a TAG A BAG STICKER on them.
Tag a bag stickers are available for purchase at City Hall.
Use the Recycle Coach App to:
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Download your collections schedule into your iCal, google calendar or Microsoft Outlook calendar; or
Use the 'what does where' to determine how to properly dispose of something or find out if a material can be reused, recycled or disposed.
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The best evidence that could be considered is a recent sale price of your property. The next best thing is recent sale prices of properties that are similar to yours in size, style, age and location. The closer in similarity and proximity, the better the evidence. Another type of evidence that is considered is a recent appraisal of your property.
Show All Answers


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The Associated Press
WASHINGTON – The wants to get more bang from the federal dollars that subsidize Internet access in schools and libraries by lifting some of the restrictions that come with the funds.
The FCC plans to let schools open their doors to the public after hours so that people can use subsidized Internet connections after students go home. It also plans to launch a pilot program that would let schools use the money to pay for wireless connections for electronic reading devices that can download textbooks.
The FCC will vote on the proposals for the E-Rate program on Thursday.
The agency also plans to allow schools and libraries to tap E-Rate funding to lease unused optical fiber or pay for access over existing local and regional fiber networks for faster Internet connections. Roughly half of all schools and libraries in the E-rate program have Internet speeds of just 1.5 megabits per second, according to the commission.
E-Rate is one of four programs that make up the Universal Service Fund, the $8-billion-a-year government fund that subsidizes Internet access in poor and rural communities through a surcharge on phone bills.
FCC chairman Julius Genachowski said broadband can improve the quality of education by giving students in far-flung locations access to top teachers and tutors and other valuable learning resources. Schools also need to be able to equip their students with the "digital literacy" skills that are so critical in today's economy, Genachowski said.
Get the latest news alerts: at Twitter.


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The Flower Girls (Pink & Yellow) C-04 by Wee Forest Folk®
We offer free shipping on all Wee Forest Folk and the Wee Forest Folk 5/6 Discount Club (excluding store specials).Wee Forest Folk® is a small family business which delights in producing a line of miniatures - most of which are mice.Annette Petersen crafted her first little critter many years ago. Since then her children have learned the ways of the mice and have created their own! Each is a casting of an original piece sculpted by either Annette, Willy or Donna Petersen.Annette's first mice were made of bread dough, which didn't last very long (nibbled by the real thing, of course!). Now, we have much more sophisticated methods of molding which add strength and durability to every piece.Meticulous painting brings each one of the sculptures to life. Our talented artists have been carefully selected for their delicate hand skills. An enormous amount of time and patience is invested in producing our line. Everyone involved takes personal pride in assuring the quality of each piece as it progresses through the many steps along the way to completion. Wee Forest Folk® sculptures are created, produced and copyrighted by the Petersen family since 1972 and are made entirely in Carlisle, Massachusetts, USA.For every 5 pieces of Wee Forest Folk you purchase, receive a 50% Discount on the 6th piece:•6th Wee Forest Folk Piece's retail price must not be greater than one of the first 5 pieces. If so, then the discount will only be up to 50% of the highest price of one of the first 5 pieces.•The 6th Wee Forest Folk piece will never be discounted more than 50%.•The 5/6 Discount Club starts over every 6 Wee Forest Folk pieces.•This discount cannot be used in conjunction with any other discounts, or specials.Shipping/handling charges will be applied to 1/2 item, unless ordered with a full price item.


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Moving magnet designs are also fixed coil. So it's pointless to eschew the useful distinction provided by "moving iron" unless you're fond of marketing BS.
Soundsmith's new Zephyr MIMC Star Cartridge: Luxury You Can Afford
B&O had abandoned its customers when it exited the turntable business, leaving turntable owners with no way to spin vinyl.
Ledermann approached B&O and when the company wasn't interested in supplying him with the technical plans he asked if he could back-engineer it. Their response was "good luck to that" (or words to that effect).
Ledermann managed to do just that, and soon established a successful worldwide business supplying B&O customers with replacement "plug in" "moving iron" cartridges.
When that market was saturated, Ledermann began building standard mount versions and thus was born another business just as the vinyl resurgence began..
Over the years he's refined and modified the basic design, which he prefers to call "fixed coil" rather than "moving iron". There are more models and versions priced from moderate to expensive producing various outputs, than I think is healthy but that's just my opinion.
The new $1749.95 Zephyr MIMC Star is Soundsmith's entry point into its high end, low output lineup. Before you consider that not "affordable" consider that if you mess up and snap the cantilever during installation, Soundsmith will rebuild it at this time for $350. Even after you've worn out the stylus, the cartridge can be rebuilt for the same amount "at this time". Most MC cartridge "re-tips" cost approximately half of list price, so do the math: you get "two" Zephyr Stars for around $2100.
Right now Soundsmith is offering another buying incentive: buyers of the first 1500 Zephyr Star cartridges will receive a small golden envelope corresponding to a free gift from Soundsmith ranging from a set of EZ Mount Screws (1420) to an SG-210 Strain Gauge cartridge (4). In between are Hyperion cartridges (6), Sussurros (10) and four other cartridge models (15 each). So you are guaranteed to get something if you buy one of the first 1500 Zephyr Stars.
The Zephyr Star, which weighs 10.27 grams, features a Sapphire cantilever (says "Boron" on the company's website) laser drilled to accept the Selected Contact Line low mass nude stylus, and borrows much of its internal technology from the $4800 Sussurro cartridge that I reviewed some time ago in Stereophile. The Zephyr Star's compliance is suitably low at 10µm/mN, its rated channel separation at 1K is rated at greater than 28dB and 25dB between 50Hz and 15kHz.
The name is an acronym for "Moving Iron for Moving Coil preamps). In other words, with its .4mV output, the MIMC should be used with a moving coil phono preamp capable of producing between 58-64dBs of gain.
Recommended tracking force is between 1.8-1.9 grams. So far this sounds like standard MC fare but because of the design, it is particularly sensitive to loading and its loading requirements are different from those of a typical MC cartridge. Soundsmith recommends loading to 470 ohms or more to avoid high frequency roll-off. A Soundsmith spokesperson recommends closer to 1000 ohms, but this is a personal choice. However, once you get below 470ohms you'll easily hear the top end roll off. You can try 47kOhms too but you'll probably hear an undamped resonant peak.
So here's where you have to carefully consider your phono preamp's capabilities. In MC mode, some don't extend loading much beyond a few hundred ohms, and if yours has a step-up transformer based input, you'd best determine the effective load before considering a Zephyr since while you can often load down the input, you can't load up.
The "Fixed Coil" (or "Moving Iron") Advantage?
Rather than going through Soundsmith's advocacy here, why not go here and read for yourself the company's claims for the technology keeping in mind that there are always two sides to every story!
Two claims I will corroborate are those for quiet hum-free operation and especially the one for high dB channel separation. I measured 35.5dB of separation in both directions (L-R and R-L) with the head shell parallel to the record surface, no azimuth adjustment necessary. Now you could say this one was "hand picked" for the review, but that's also possible for other cartridges I've been sent for review, and other than a $9995 Lyra Etna SL that measured 36dB (and not the one I was sent, but rather one I recently set up for a friend), I've not measured another cartridge that produced such crosstalk results.
The oscilloscope trace on top in yellow shows the 1kHz test tone modulating the left channel of the test record. Theoretically the blue trace should be flat, which would mean no crosstalk but of course there's always some. In this case the blue line is about as flat as I've seen. Usually there's more of a visible wave, indicating higher crosstalk.
Zephyr Star Sonics
As the measurements predicted, the Zephyr Star produced as wide a soundstage as I've experienced in my room: wide, deep, stable and three-dimensional. Images on the stage were three-dimensional and satisfyingly solid. More impressive was the presentation's liquidity and complete freedom from mechanical artifacts.
The Zephyr Star smoothly handled the toughest vocal sibilants and overall produced liquidity not compromised by a soft finish.
One of the first records I played was Analog Sparks' spectacular reissue of A Fiddler on the Roof (79301836821-6/RCA LSO-1093) finally not hobbled by Dynagroove processing. This 1964 Webster Hall recording features a wide, some might say overly L/R staging but the presentation through the Zephyr Star was ultra-stable and well reproduced the reverberant field that holds together the mix despite the occasional separation extremes.
The front to back three-dimensionality projected Zero Mostel well into the room well forward of a line between the speakers, and the effect was to bring the great actor back to life in the ways only the very best cartridges manage.
However vinyl's dynamic range gets measured, the reality is far wider dynamics than measured as this record proves. You won't be disappointed by this cartridge's spatial presentation, I don't care what cartridge you use or how much you've spent.
Its dynamic presentation is also bold and unrestrained, unless you are used to far more costly cartridges where you can get greater microdynamic subtlety (small dynamic shifts) and better "image carving" and solidity with blacker background black (you do get what you pay for when you spend $5000, $8000 and more for a phono cartridge) but with the Zephyr Star, I think you will get more for your $1749.95 than you were expecting to get.
Installed in a Kuzma 4 Point, the Zephyr Star proved to be a super tracker and with its low mass Contact Line stylus an equally good tracer, able to get into the smallest groove "nooks and crannies". I played ORG's double 45 reissue of Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book (Verve MG VS-64022/ORG 055) and found the liquidity, and freedom from mechanical and/or sibilant artifacts made for very smooth and enjoyable listening but with transient details mostly intact. The Zephyr Star is a "smoothie" without being a "softy".
In term of frequency response, I found the Zephyr to be without "lumps" and obvious "bumps". With the phono preamp correctly configured, the subjective response is neutral with perhaps a bit of an midband overemphasis that produces a billowy, airy fullness that well complements many speakers. The Zephyr's bottom end is robust and well-controlled, while the top end is airy, extended and seemingly limitless—all without producing edge, spotlighting on top or bloat on bottom. An impressive tonal performance!
At the under $2000 price point, the new low output Soundsmith Zephyr MIMIC Star is an overachiever that gives you a glimpse of the best in terms of non-mechanical, artifact-free performance, for a small percentage of the state of the art asking price. With measured 36dB chancel separation the Zephyr Star's spatial performance is up there with the best at any price, as is its smooth, reasonably fast and non-mechanical overall demeanor.
If you crave more tightly drawn, solid and compacted images, sharper, faster, better focused transients and blacker backgrounds they can be found, but at a far higher price-point. Soundsmith's new Zephyr Star is a star.
Let me get this straight, Michael. You agree "both moving iron and moving magnet cartridges have fixed coils" (I'm quoting YOUR words) and maintain that a distinction is necessary because they are "VERY different"? Maybe you should try thinking before rushing to insult your readers.
Well said Michael, and so do bulls, and thats no B.S!!
I don't need a discussion on the differences between MM & MI designs and this doesn't seem like a suitable forum for that. The real question is why does Soundsmith prefer to call its cartridge fixed coil rather than moving iron. Is it because they want to be more precise in their description? Obviously not. As a category, fixed coil includes both MM & MI. As I originally said, Soundsmith chooses to eschew the more specific term. It's not incorrect to call it a fixed coil cartridge, but why waste someone's time telling them it's a fixed coil cartridge, when stating it's a moving iron cartridge already tells them that and more. I concluded it was marketing BS. Apparently you disagree with my conclusion, but have completely avoided giving a reason why. You didn't give an answer to address the real issue, instead you gave some detail about the differences between MM & MI. When I was in school, that sort of answer technique also received the label of BS. If you bother to reply, just tell me why you think it is better to call it FC rather than MI. Or better yet, ask Soundsmith because, honestly, it's unreasonable for me to expect you to know what they were thinking.
Michael explicitly explained to you why your statement is insulting and how he corrected you, and why.
He is exactly right, and by your lack to clarify your statement you came off convicting and rude (and more importantly, utterly ignorant of the two concepts of moving iron and moving magnet). It can be called a fixed coil, if you researched how that cartridge is assembled. I think I'll let the cartridge's designer (and technically the inventor of this version of technology) have his right to call it what he feels.
If Michael wants a discussion of the two designs, it's his site, and you do need one.
You were simply splitting hairs in a petty accusation.
Michael explicitly explained to you why your statement is insulting, and how he corrected you and why.
He is exactly right, and by your lack to clarify your statement you came off convicting and rude (and more importantly, ignorant of the two concepts of moving iron and moving magnet). Stereophile reviews covered the differences in past issues and online.
It can be called a fixed coil if you researched how that cartridge is assembled. I think I'll let the cartridge's designer (and technically the inventor of this version of technology) have his right to call it what he feels. If he feels the term 'moving iron' is inadequate, that's valid.
Note the term in this product is more of a comparison between moving coil and moving iron (or fixed coil), than of MM and MI. After all, this is a Low output fixed-iron cartridge, and a different approach than the higher output cartridges that Soundsmith has created in past years.
If Michael wants a discussion of the two designs, it's his right, and where else would this be appropriate? (Really.) It's his site and you do need a discussion, as does some of the trolling public.
You were simply splitting hairs in a silly, petty accusation. That's BS.
Have you heard the Zephyr Mk II in comparison? I was hesitant with the loading options of my JC3+ to get the Zephyr MIMC so I bought a Zephyr II recently. I'm overall very pleased with the sound as it's breaking in. I am curious what tradeoffs are there in terms of sound.
I would be glad to take part in this discussion on a one time basis. I am leaving for Munich for the high end show tomorrow, and don't have much time. I also tend to stay off forums as there are always those who feel the need to attack, and I reward them by going away.
Both of you are correct, but it requires a detailed explanation. Having repaired tens of thousands of MC, MM and MI designs over the past 40+ years, I have more than a unique perspective. Some of this is from speaking with so many customers over than period as well, and the other is from teaching audio over that period.
The other issue is the large number of young folks entering the analog market. They are very interested in being informed, and the history of my company has been, and will continue to be, to inform.
Although the term "fixed coil" covers both MI and MM, it also conveys a very important point that makes the less informed (not you) question the technology. We think that is good. They are for the most part, well aware of MC, as it clearly dominates the market. When we use the term "Moving Iron" – the almost ubiquitous response is - "That sounds heavy"…..even from the well informed. It does not convey the fact that our designs' moving mass is 5 to 8 times LOWER than MC.
Using the alternate term "fixed Coil" draws these newbies into the conversation. They want to understand HOW one can build a fixed coil (as they thing the coil HAS to move), as they often only know Moving Coil. They want to understand what the differences ARE between MC, MM and MI. From that standpoint, the use of FC is a marketing term that works. But it is important to understand that having been in audio design for over 40 years, I have seen more than my share of what you call marketing BS. If you review my history, you will see that I have always been involved in novel, forward designs, and spoke about them openly. I have NOT used marketing terms to represent products in the effort just to give the appearance of a novel or forward engineering advance – I have actually done them.
But the other major reason for moving to Fixed Coil is because it sends a very important message. Moving Coil designs are subject to many failure mechanisms that fixed coils are not – one being work hardening of the lead out "moving" wires. Anyone who has bent a coat hanger back and forth understands work hardening. Fixed Coil says exactly what it is – a critical part of the system that does NOT move, and is therefore far more reliable in at least that one critical sense alone. Michael was very generous in creating a link in his review to my essay on our Fixed Coil designs, complete with photos and technical explanation of why we do what we do, and why others do not. He also mentioned our rebuild policy – multiple rebuilds for 20% or LESS, on all FC products, and not just to the original owner. My company is built on value – long term value, and standing behind customer who by our designs. That is not BS either.
The new high output Zephyr MKIII continues its tradition of being a bit warmer, somewhat more sultry and lush sounding cartridge compared to others, including the Zephyr MIMC Star. Some need or prefer that kind of presentation. The Zephyr MIMC Star features a novel cantilever/diamond structure, but more importantly, derives its internals from the advances we made in our Sussurro MKII. Some trickle down technology…….
I appreciate your opening up this discussion – I hope this cools things off – the world is hot enough and those who stay cool are in great danger of contamination.
Thank you for your post.
Peter Ledermann/President
Thank you very much Peter for taking time to go into the detail you have in explaining the technology and why you have described your cartridges the way that you have. It was very informative.
Agreed, no need to get confrontational over a cartridge!
Until now.
I think you make a great point about being more open to newbies. Their normally cynical views can be informed and brought to a place of acceptance, so that this great hobby can be continued for the very future of it. I feel my own attitude needs to change just a tinge...
Before I read the comments (while contemplating MF's review), I thought what are we going to do when you aren't around? With AJ Conti's passing recently, and less and less brick and mortar audio stores, I sincerely worry about the future of hifi. (AND the rest of you alte kakers... I hope you all live long lives!)
I am still in love with my Carmen, and thank you for keeping rebuilding costs down for us less well-heeled consumers. I really love the new site as well! Just fantastic design, art and content.
Until now.
I think you make a great point about being more open to newbies. Their normally cynical views can be informed and brought to a place of acceptance, so that this great hobby can be continued for the very future of it. I feel my own attitude needs to change just a tinge...
Before I read the comments (while contemplating MF's review), I thought what are we going to do when you aren't around? With AJ Conti's passing recently, and less and less brick and mortar audio stores, I sincerely worry about the future of hifi. (AND the rest of you alte kakers... I hope you all live long lives!)
I am still in love with my Carmen, and thank you for keeping rebuilding costs down for us less well-heeled consumers. I really love the new site as well! Just fantastic design, art and content.
I have been happy with my MusicMaker mkIII MI/Fixed Coil cartridge for years. I've heard really good MCs, like Allaerts, Lyra etc, but always come back to MusicMaker. Can't Explain why...
I don't understand some peoples ranting posts......Ending any post with "BS" is a rant/flame post.
My next cart will likely be a Soundsmith, it's gonna be awhile though as I just took delivery of a Lyra 6 weeks ago. Working with a seller of both the deal came in better on the Lyra.
Gorgeous cartridge....
Six months ago I bought a new MIMC from one of the big web dealers we all know and love and I have not mounted mine yet as I have some other cartridges that are mounted and dialed in. I am looking at my SS box, still sealed, and mine does not say "Star" anywhere. Just MIMC Low Compliance Stereo Low Output. What is the difference between the Star and the regular MIMC? I just rechecked your website (speaking to Peter here) and I see no reference to the "Star".
I want to add that, as others have noted, Peter Ledermann is, IMHO, a national treasure. When he stops innovating designs and stops repairing cartridges, some of us are going to feel up a creek without a paddle. Let's not forget that virtually no one else in the US does what he does and that some of the top international cartridge makers like Benz and Ortofon have had difficulty with production, distribution, and supply.
Just read you review (albeit a few months later than written). Thank you for sharing your experiences with the loading challenges with this cart. I'm curious what pre-amp you used for this review or should i say what pre-amps you have had success with meeting the loading requirements for this cart.
Thanks, jake
Open a music studio and record your voice.
Hi Michael, i had an EMT JSD6, Lyra Kleos/Skala/Titan i/DV XX2MK2.
No one of this cartridges was so good as my VdH Frog in a SME-V.
I had a few bad build Frogs, but this one is great. No installed the Soundsmith MIMC on an Origin Live Conqueror an i love this cartridge and agree to 100% your review. It is the balance of the frequency balance and clarity of the transients. I run it with 1k ohm on a Pass XP25.
Here you can see the results with Adjust+
I think Soundsmith is a great option for us, because the favourable retipping service. In past VdH was the company for me, but the build quality is too bad.
Recently got the Zephyr, absolutely amazing. Soundstage is like 20' wide and 10' deep.... and the imaging sits in this huge soundstage. I have a front row seat at the concert. Over the top cartridge...


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Letters to the editor July 19
Work for peace
Last week's editorial titled "Watershed Moment" was indeed that. The discourse about the Presbyterian Church (USA), their General Assembly and the commissioners who voted in it reached a new low, using language that is just as extreme and irresponsible as that of the anti-Israel activists behind the divestment, boycott and apartheid resolutions.
To say that there is a cancer in the PC (USA) is inflammatory and uncalled for in response to a process that ultimately opposed divestment, largely in response to and out of respect for Jewish concerns.
The author rightly asserts that the commissioners who opposed divestment did not speak out as loudly about
boycott. Divestment from companies whose products are used by the Israel Defense Forces, such as HP, Caterpillar and Motorola, whose goods are all part of the security apparatus which aims to reduce terror attacks in Israel (in addition to its supporting role in the territories) is one thing. Supporting the economy of the West Bank settlements, whose continued growth makes the likelihood of a two-state solution look less and less viable is another. The vast majority of Americans, Jewish and Christian want to see the two sides reach an agreement that facilitates the formation of two states for two peoples, living side by side in peace. It is time that we take control of the discourse away from the extremists on both sides and let our voices be heard.
The battle with our Presbyterian neighbors is over for now, but will replay in two years when the PC (USA) meets again. Couldn't we use this time to everyone's advantage by finding a way to work for peace that does not divide us from our longtime allies and partners in this church and the various others that are struggling with the same issues? The Presbyterian Church voted to invest in peaceful pursuits that promote coexistence. There are many Israelis and American Jews who are doing just that through local, national and international organizations working for peace. Just one local example: Pittsburgh Area Jewish Committee (PAJC) Life Trustee Mark Frank is working with Bill Strickland, the visionary behind the Manchester Bidwell Corporation, to build a career training center for disaffected Israeli Arabs and Jews with a focus on the arts in Akko, Israel. They need money to make it happen and would welcome support from any Jews or Christians who care about peace in the Holy Land.
The editorial concludes by stating that the "growing anti-Semitic sentiment" in the church will cause irreparable harm to Jewish-Presbyterian relations "if nothing changes." Irreparable harm will come from unfounded accusations such as that, actually. And yes, something does need to change. What needs to change is the silence of the majority of American Jews and Christians who know that Israel must remain a democratic, Jewish state and that the occupation is an existential threat to that end. The onus is on the rest of us to distance ourselves from the extremists within our own religious community and act accordingly. Only thus can we hope to avoid fighting this same battle repeatedly.
We cannot keep our heads in the sand and our fingers in the dyke forever; we must stand up for the two state solution — for Israel's sake and our own.
Deborah Fidel
Marshall Dayan
(Deborah Fidel is executive director of PAJC; Marshall Dayan is president of PAJC.)
Editorial rebutted
I was most grieved to read the July 12 Jewish Chronicle editorial, which declared "There is a cancer in the PC (USA)" and "growing anti-Semitic sentiment within the church," and by the cartoon which declared that in the PC (USA) there is "growing anti-Israel sentiment."
While I personally reject divestment as a strategy for Middle East peace, I welcome the debate about strategies for a solution to the stalemate in the lands, which we all claim to be holy, and reject the accusation that such conversation is either anti-Semitic or anti-Israel. The writer, while pointing to the PC (USA) could just as easily have inserted the name of almost every Protestant Christian denomination in the United States; for most of our traditions are wrestling with similar issues.
Many of our denominations have made great strides in coming to grips with our anti-Jewish attitudes, teachings and liturgies since the Shoa and Vatican II's Nostra Aetate (Declaration on the Relation of the Church to Non-Christian Religions). We have renounced supersessionism (the belief that Christianity is the fulfillment of biblical Judaism, and therefore that Jews who deny that Jesus is the Jewish Messiah fall short of their calling as God's Chosen people), and seek to be in dialogue about our respective religions and common ancestry. But, we also wrestle with how best to "accompany" our Christian siblings in the Middle East, particularly in Israel and the Palestinian territories. Thus, we often have heated discussions about divestment, positive investment and embargos against products from the settlements. Just because my own Evangelical Lutheran Church in America rejected divestment as an accompaniment strategy on behalf of our Christian kin and in the name of peace, doesn't mean that we are free of the "cancer" of which the editorial writer accuses.
Denominational meetings, like the just concluded Presbyterian General Assembly and Convention of the Episcopal Church or the ELCA Assembly, which will be in Pittsburgh next August, are not the best places to discuss the fine points of controversial issues. Nor are hastily convened conversations by the Jewish community just a few weeks prior to such gatherings to tell their side to these groups helpful either. In both cases we end up talking at each other, instead of with and to each other.
Trust and mutual respect are fragile commodities; they take a great investment of time, energy and listening to establish and maintain. Before we lob the accusations of "cancer," "anti-Semitic" or "anti-Israel" at any of our Abrahamic kin, let us find a way of investing in consistent, intensive conversation among our diverse Christian, Muslim and equally diverse Jewish constituencies about that which makes for peace with justice for all residents of those lands we call holy.
Pastor Don Green
(The author is executive director of Christian Associates of Southwest Pennsylvania.)
(Editor's note: Upon further consideration, the Chronicle regrets its use of the word "cancer" in the July 12 editorial. However, we must continue to stand by our references to the words "anti-Semitic" and "anti-Israel" to describe certain actions and statements at the General Assembly. Israel was accused of "ethnic cleansing," which is tantamount to genocide. And the apartheid resolution, which was clearly false, as church leaders ultimately determined, would have demonized the Jewish state, and provided a powerful weapon for Israel's enemies. Nevertheless, it attracted considerable support at the G.A.)
More is expected
After several readings of the editorial, "Watershed moment" (July 12), I cannot get past the following sentence that ends this column. "If nothing changes to correct growing anti-Semitism within the church …" How have you come to such an untrue, dishonest and inflammatory conclusion?
The central issue for many who followed, as well as participated in the PC (USA) convention was how to end the 45-year occupation of the West Bank by Israel, and how to end the Israeli settlement enterprise that threatens to overwhelm what land remains for the creation of a viable Palestinian state. Political pressure, either from within Israel or from the United States or European Union, has not slowed down the seizure of Palestinian lands by Israeli settlers, often done with the encouragement of the current Israeli government or done illegally and in defiance of Israeli law.
A recent statement made by the Levy Commission, charged to look into the legal status of the West Bank, stated that there is no "occupation" at all. Do you think any West Bank Palestinians were interviewed? What was the point of such a commission?
Political and diplomatic efforts have failed to resolve this conflict. Few nonviolent tactics remain. One of those is an economic boycott of goods manufactured in West Bank settlements, applying serious and sustained economic pressure on the settlements. Why is this being called "growing anti-Semitism" by you? Because this boycott is aimed at Israelis? If American citizens unlawfully took Mexican lands to create settlements and we protested that, would we be anti-American?
I reject the charge of anti-Semitism leveled at the PC (USA). As a Jew who has been involved in the struggle for peace and justice for both peoples, I believe we must, as a community, stop labeling every criticism of Israel as anti-Semitic to avoid any serious public discussion of the issue. As a newspaper of this Jewish community, The Jewish Chronicle has a responsibility to raise the level of discussion, not resort to cynical and cheap stereotyping. This is not journalism. It's propaganda. Many in this community expect better from you.
Richard Fox
South Side


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Grammy-Award winning virtuoso and long time collaborators Steve Stevens and Knaggs Guitars proudly announce the Steve Stevens Signature model.
Queenstown, MD (March 15, 2013) -- Grammy-Award winning Virtuoso and long time collaborator Steve Stevens and Knaggs Guitars proudly announce the Steve Stevens Signature model. Tailored to Steve's specs and preferences, it will accompany the legendary guitarist on Billy Idol's 2013 Anniversary Rebel Yell tour and other live appearances and studio projects around the World.
Steve's first Signature model since 1990, finished in Opaque Black with pink binding, features a Mahogany body with carved Maple top, set Mahogany neck with custom pink Morning Star inlays on Rosewood finger board, pink ray gun head stock inlay and Knaggs' proprietary two-in-one bridge, combining a tune-o-matic and string holder into one unit, thus increasing harmonics and sustain only the player can feel. Two volume and tone controls drive specially designed Signature Bareknuckle pick-ups with engraved ray guns not available in any other guitar. Only 99 of these gems will be offered to the public in 2013. Each guitar comes with an exclusive Certificate outlining specs and serial-number and will be hand signed by Steve and team Knaggs. A black form fit case with pink lining completes this limited run offering.
Steve Stevens said: "This instrument really came together out of a genuine friendship rather than a business venture. It is the combination of an artist and a company who want to put a very high quality guitar out there. I love picking up and playing this guitar, it puts a huge smile on my face". Knaggs Guitars' VP of Global Sales & Marketing, Peter Wolf added: "Steve really cares about his instruments, equipment and his sound, and he knows all about it. For us, it is a big deal to work with someone of his caliber and to be put to his test".
Once all instruments are sold to guitar aficionados and enthusiasts, one lucky winner will be invited for a private guitar lesson. Sales of Steve Stevens' Signature models will also help MusiCares, a charity Steve has been supporting. "We really wanted to give back some of the proceeds of my Signature guitar and MusiCares immediately came to mind. I've personally seen them help so many gifted players change their lives for the better and I was fortunate enough to perform with Billy Idol when MusiCares honored Jerry Cantrell in 2012. They are such an amazing organization".
Knaggs Guitars have been carving a niche for themselves in the world of high-end guitar making in just a few short years. Artists currently using Knaggs instruments include Nils Lofgren (E-Street Band), Stuart Fraser (Noiseworks/ John Farnham), Russell Pollard (Everest) and two time Latin Grammy nominee Pablo Olivares.
For more information:
Knaggs Guitars


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A new study has found that a person's sense of smell is linked to the genetic variant rs6591536.
According to a study, "A Mendelian Trait for Olfactory Sensitivity Affects Odor Experience and Food Selection," which was published online in the journal Cell Biology, β-ionone is a key aroma in foods and beverages and is added to products in order to give a pleasant floral note. Genome-wide and in vitro assays demonstrate rs6591536 as the causal variant for β-ionone odor sensitivity.
Specifically, rs6591536 encodes a N183D substitution in the second extracellular loop of OR5A1 and explains >96% of the observed phenotypic variation, resembling a monogenic Mendelian trait. Individuals carrying genotypes for β-ionone sensitivity can more easily differentiate between food and beverage stimuli with and without added β-ionone. Sensitive individuals typically describe β-ionone in foods and beverages as "fragrant" and "floral," whereas less-sensitive individuals describe these stimuli differently.
The study also reveals that the rs6591536 genotype also influences emotional associations and explains differences in food and product choices. These studies demonstrate that an OR variant that influences olfactory sensitivity can affect how people experience and respond to foods, beverages, and other products.


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NEW YORK — Agent Scott Boras recommends his clients refuse Major League Baseball's attempt to cut salaries during negotiations with the players' association, claiming team financial issues caused by the coronavirus pandemic have their origin in management debt financing.
In an email obtained by The Associated Press, Boras wrote that players should not alter terms of the March 26 agreement between MLB and the union that called for players to reduce their salaries to a prorated rate based on a shortened season. MLB on Tuesday proposed a series of tiered reductions that would cause top stars to receive the biggest cuts.
"Remember, games cannot be played without you," Boras wrote. "Players should not agree to further pay cuts to bail out the owners. Let owners take some of their record revenues and profits from the past several years and pay you the prorated salaries you agreed to accept or let them borrow against the asset values they created from the use of those profits players generated."
Boras is baseball's best-known agent and represented 71 players on active rosters and injured lists as of Aug. 31, the most among player representative firms. His Newport Beach, California-based company negotiated more than $1.2 billion in contracts during the offseason.
Salaries were set to range from $563,500 for players at the major league minimum to $36 million for Mike Trout and Gerrit Cole, the latter a Boras client. Under the March agreement, the range would be cut to roughly $285,000 to $18 million for the 82-game regular season MLB has proposed. Under the economic proposal made by MLB this week, the range would be reduced to about $262,000 to $8 million, including shares of a bonus all players would receive if the postseason is played.
"Owners are asking for more salary cuts to bail them out of the investment decisions they have made," Boras said. "If this was just about baseball, playing games would give the owners enough money to pay the players their full prorated salaries and run the baseball organization. The owners' current problem is a result of the money they borrowed when they purchased their franchises, renovated their stadiums or developed land around their ballparks. This type of financing is allowed and encouraged by MLB because it has resulted in significant franchise valuations."
"Owners now want players to take additional pay cuts to help them pay these loans. They want a bailout," he added. "They are not offering players a share of the stadiums, ballpark villages or the club itself, even though salary reductions would help owners pay for these valuable franchise assets. These billionaires want the money for free. No bank would do that. Banks demand loans be repaid with interest. Players should be entitled to the same respect."
Commissioner Rob Manfred has said 40% of MLB's revenue is related to the gate. Teams told the union on May 12 that MLB would lose $640,000 for each game played in empty ballparks without fans. MLB claimed that playing with prorated salaries in empty ballparks would cause a $4 billion loss and give major league players 89% of revenue.
Washington pitcher Max Scherzer, among three Boras clients on the union's eight-man executive subcommittee, issued a statement late Wednesday night saying "there's no need to engage with MLB in any further compensation reductions."
Boras cited the purchase of the Cubs by the Ricketts family and the redevelopment of Wrigley Field. Debt financing was key to both, he said.
"Throughout this process, they will be able to claim that they never had any profits because those profits went to pay off their loans," he wrote. "However, the end result is that the Ricketts will own improved assets that significantly increases the value of the Cubs — value that is not shared with the players."
Boras asked clients to "please share this concept with your teammates and fellow players when MLB request further concessions or deferral of salaries."
"Make no mistake, owners have chosen to take on these loans because, in normal times, it is a smart financial decision," Boras wrote. "But, these unnecessary choices have now put them in a challenging spot. Players should stand strong because players are not the ones who advised owners to borrow money to purchase their franchises and players are not the ones who have benefited from the recent record revenues and profits."
He added salaries have been flat for several years. The opening day average has been in the $4.4 million rang e since 2016.
Cincinnati pitcher Trevor Bauer addressed Boras on Wednesday on Twitter.
"Hearing a LOT of rumors about a certain player agent meddling in MLBPA affairs," Bauer tweeted. "If true — and at this point, these are only rumors — I have one thing to say ... Scott Boras, rep your clients however you want to, but keep your damn personal agenda out of union business."
Boras declined to comment on Bauer's remarks.


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In the elections for Israel's 19th Knesset the success of Benjamin Netanyahu almost proved to be his downfall.
What should be obvious is that the majority of the public identified with the Prime Minister's ability to present Israel's legitimate case before the world. They supported his moves in Jerusalem and tolerated, to a large extent, Israel's presence in Judea and Samaria. In poll after poll over the last two decades, we see a dichotomy: Israelis desire peace very much and are willing to offer much to obtain it, but they do not believe that a peace agreement is achievable and they believe even less that the Arabs would preserve that peace.
Confident in Netanyahu's handling of Israel's external threats, Israeli voters felt able to vote based on their lack of confidence in their day-to-day lives. Thinking Netanyahu was already confirmed as Prime Minister, some voters presumed they had a virtual 'double-ticket' and sought out someone else. The voters were dissatisfied with his domestic social programs, or lack thereof, not his foreign and security policies. They were convinced by promises of cheaper housing, less expensive utilities and a fair share of the burden of military service, and, drawn by their desire to be 'the middle class', some abandoned the Likud.
Israel's voters have a history of searching for a secular savior outside the usual party groupings. In 1977, the Dash Movement for Change obtained 15 seats. In 1999, there was the Center Party with six. In 2003, Yair Lapid's father, Tommy, broke out with 15 seats for Shinui. In the end, they all dissipated, either disappearing or merging into other frameworks. The challenge facing Yair Lapid is how to manage his own success, avoiding his father's near-hatred for the Haredim, and maintaining an organisation able to outlast one Knesset term – which, given the coalition puzzle yet to be completed, might well be less than four years.
As for Netanyahu, politics, it seems, is truly the profession in which you don't have to say you're sorry. Striding out onto the stage to address the Likud faithful on election night, he declared, 'The public wants me to continue leading the country to form a coalition' – despite 'succeeding' in losing some 10 possible seats.
I am still puzzled as to why the Likud chairman called for elections in early October but, after doing so, he made too many mistakes. He declared himself strong but displayed weakness; he presented the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu list as broadly-based and representative but concentrated the election campaign on himself; he signed a 'remainders agreement' with the Bayit Yehudi list – to ensure that all the votes left over after the first division by the 120 quotient would remain in the Likud camp – but then consistently attacked that party.
The election saw the reinvigoration of the religious-nationalist camp. The leader of Jewish Home, Naftali Bennett – observant until army service, married to a secular woman but now firmly back into the old Mizrachi mold – emerged as the new hope. His service as executive secretary of the Yesha Council was refreshing and he was able to alter the perspectives of the non-ideological public as well as changing the way the entertainment and cultural icons of 'the state of Tel Aviv' viewed the reality on the ground in Judea and Samaria. True, the loss of almost 70,000 votes to the more radical Otzma LeIsrael party hurt, and Netanyahu's personal animosity to Bennett resulted in him being the last to be called in the first round of coalition consultations for the next government. But Netanyahu cannot shun the 12 new Jewish Home MKs, just as Lapid cannot accept a Haredi list.
Despite Netanyahu's success in defending the across-the-'Green Line' communities and permitting their continued growth, they trust him less after the 'two-state' pronouncement, the refusal to adopt any element of the Levy Report and his alliance with Ehud Barak, whose ministry-supervised activities in the territories vitiated against a vote for him. This distrust intensified following the Likud's anti-Bennett ads.
So, Netanyahu will set up his coalition but his very success in dealing with Israel's external challenges means he must share power with Yair Lapid, a successful political amateur leading a party top-heavy with 18 novice MKs and Naftali Bennett, new and successful too, and who will now need to balance his ideological constituency with the new social concerns agenda.


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I've developing a web application that will be dealing with highly sensitive information and I want to ensure the hashing of passwords is gold standard. Ideally I'd go for per-user salted SHA512 using PBKDF2 to carry out multiple iterations of the algorithm but as I'm developing in asp.net, there's no built-in .net SHA512 version for PBKDF2 - I'm limited to SHA1 (i.e. Rfc2898DeriveBytes).
My question is really, bearing in mind I'm developing in .net and am securing sensitive information, what's the best way to hash user passwords?
Should I stick with .net's SHA1 PBKDF2 implementation?
Should I use a custom implementation of PBKDF2 to incorporate SHA512?
Should I be preferring bcrypt or scrypt despite the fact that they're not widely standards accredited (e.g. NIST)?


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After his 1984 debacle, Italian X-Rays, Steve Miller made a fine comeback two years later with Living in the 20th Century. Dedicated to Jimmy Reed, it was his first blues album in over 15 years.
Miller took complete control of the recording process again. Unlike his last effort where his band members wrote the majority of the material, now he wrote five of the tracks himself. Three Jimmy Reed covers plus several other blues songs made it one of the better efforts of the second half of his career.
The album has a cohesive flow to it. It begins with four original Miller compositions before transitioning to his interpretations of six blues songs, finally finishing with another original.
There is a lot of good music on the album. The best of his originals is "Behind the Barn" as both James Cotton and Norton Buffalo contributed with some harp play, and Les Dudek added a country sound with his dobro. "Slinky" is an often overlooked gem in his vast catalogue of music. It is an instrumental that contains one of the better guitar performances of his career. It finds Miller laid back and relaxed and makes one wish he would record more guitar-oriented songs. "I Want the World to Turn Around" settles into a nice groove with saxophone player Kenny G.
The Jimmy Reed covers were a labor of love. "I Wanna be Loved (But Only by You)" and "Ain't That Lovin' You Baby" are given modernized interpretations. "Caress Me Baby" served as a jumping off point for some more of Miller's guitar improvisation that would have made Reed proud. Add in such tunes as "My Babe" and "Big Boss Man" and you have a nice grouping of classic blues interpretations.
Living in the 20th Century is an album that often floats under the Steve Miller radar. It is a fine album that deserves more attention as it found Miller in a place he had not visited in quite a while. If you ever want to explore the Steve Miller Band outside of his better known releases, then this is the place to start.


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VUHS softball on early-season roll
VERGENNES — It's been a long time since the Vergennes Union High School softball team has been able to enjoy being in first place — the late 1990s, when the Commodores won the Metro Conference championship.
But after Tuesday's 8-3 win over visiting Burlington, the Commodores can make that claim again: At 4-0, with three straight wins over Division I Metro teams, VUHS sits on top of the D-III standings, just ahead of Windsor (5-1).
For sure, tougher tests lie ahead against the Metro iron — BFA-St. Albans, Missisquoi and, this Thursday, at Essex.
But the Commodores have come a long way from the program that routinely won a game or two each year throughout most of the past decade.
Centerfielder Tabby Danyow — who on Tuesday doubled, drove in two runs and threw out two Seahorses at home — said a major reason for the turnaround is that many Commodores have dedicated themselves to the sport.
"We had a lot of girls who played in the summer, and we had a winter league team so we could continue developing our skills," said Danyow. "And our pitchers, I know, have been pitching on Saturday and the weekends and have their own pitching coach. And that really helps us a lot. And it just seems to be coming together this year, which is nice."
A year ago, when the Commodores won five times, they lost a number of close games. This year, they have already won two games by one run and another by two runs. On Tuesday, they worked out of bases-loaded jams in the fifth and sixth innings and broke the game open with three runs in the sixth.
Coach Mike Sullivan said the Commodores are gaining belief in themselves.
"It's a combination of a bunch of things. We're playing a little better defense. Our pitching is a little more calm, a little more mature out there. They're handling the situations a little better. I think sometimes it just takes that first win in a close game to really help build confidence," Sullivan said. "Obviously, a timely hit here and there is helpful, too."
On Tuesday, defensive plays and clutch pitching helped snuff several Burlington rallies. In the first, junior catcher Caitlin Chaput threw out a runner trying to reach third on a pitch in the dirt, and sophomore pitcher Emilee Trudo recorded one of her six strikeouts to end a threat. Trudo earned the win with five innings of work; she walked five and allowed four singles.
VUHS took the lead in the bottom of the first. Junior first baseman Jen Morley and Chaput both walked and scored when sophomore DH Dani Brown drilled a towering shot off the fence in right center.
Trudo again wiggled out of a jam in the second: With runners on second and third and none out, she struck out one batter and retired the next on a grounder to the mound.
VUHS made it 3-0 in the third. Sophomore right fielder Phoebe Plank walked, stole second, and scored when the Seahorses made a throwing error on senior second baseman Megan Paquin's infield hit.
In the third, sophomore shortstop Taylor Paquette turned a nice double play to help Trudo work around two walks.
Paquette made it 4-0 leading off the bottom of the fourth by lofting a home run to left field into a stiff wind. VUHS added another run that inning when Plank walked, moved up on a Paquin bunt, and scored on Danyow's bloop double.
Burlington scored in the fifth, and could have had more. Lauren Jarvis, Kayla Plankey and leadoff hitter Mallory Cross opened the inning with singles, and Jarvis tried to score from second base on Cross's hit to center. But Danyow cut her down at the plate for the first out. Trudo walked the next batter and uncorked a wild pitch to score the run, but settled down to whiff the next two hitters and keep the lead 5-1.
Paquette pitched the final two innings and ran into trouble in the sixth. After an error put the leadoff runner on, two singles loaded the bases with one out. Paquette struck out the next batter, but Olivia Maher drilled a single up the middle to score one run. Nikki Raub, however, made the mistake of trying to score from second on a ball hit to Danyow, and Chaput again applied the tag at the plate, this time to end the threat.
VUHS put the game out of reach in the bottom of the inning. Plank led off with a single, and senior left fielder Sierra Lane reached on an error. They moved up on a passed ball, and Plank scored when Danyow fouled out to the catcher on a play that drew three defenders, but left home plate uncovered.
Morley walked and stole second to put runners on second and third, and both scored when senior third baseman Kate Mulliss drilled a single to left center.
The Seahorses added a run in the seventh off Paquette on singles by Evelyn Schaedel and Erica Lyon and a sacrifice fly by Ilona Maher. Paquette allowed four hits and one earned run in two innings, walking none and fanning three.
Olivia Maher took the loss for Burlington, allowing eight hits (two of them doubles by Chaput) and four walks while striking out eight.
Sullivan said the early-season wins are coming against the caliber of teams the Commodores are likely to see deep in the D-III playoffs.
"Those are all playoff-type games for us," Sullivan said. "So once we learn how to win these games, we're going to have a lot greater success."
Danyow added one more secret to the team's early surge — chemistry.
"Whenever the pitchers are down on themselves or whenever someone makes an error, we always make sure to say, 'Don't worry about it, it's OK. We've got your back,'" she said.
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].
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The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) is an independent foundation created through a collective initiative led by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). It was set up on November 10, 1999 to promote, coordinate and monitor the fight against drugs in sport. WADA is responsible for the World Anti-Doping Code, adopted by more than 600 sports organizations, including international sports federations, national anti-doping organizations, the IOC, and the International Paralympic Committee.
The FAI has been signatory of the World Anti-Doping Code since 2003.
More: www.wada-ama.org
Anti-Doping programmes seek to preserve what is intrinsically valuable about sport – fair-play and integrity. Following the adoption in 2003 by the FAI General Conference of the World Anti-Doping Code, the FAI is committed to a programme of anti-doping. The FAI Anti-Doping Rules and Procedures are designed to implement FAI's responsibilities under the World Anti-Doping Code. They reflect FAI's determination to ensure that there is no doping in air sports. By applying for an FAI Sporting Licence, athletes accept these rules as a condition of participation in air sports.
The FAI wants to ensure a fair and level playing field. Also, as an Olympic recognized federation, the FAI has to observe the WADA Code and be compliant. Not doing this would result in losing this recognition and as a consequence, many FAI Members would also lose their national recognition and support from their governments or National Olympic Committees. Besides, this would prevent us from participating in multisport events such as IWGA The World Games, for example.
The activities, defined as "doping", are contrary to the FAI's principles of fair play, and are potentially damaging to athletes' health and safety. Therefore, you risk:
- A sanction, such as a suspension to compete for a certain number of years
- Damaging your health
Occasional social drug use is at your own risk. But you should be aware that not only might they be considered as a prohibited substance and be detected at a doping control but more importantly they are not acceptable in aviation as they might put yourself and others in danger.
Go and see your doctor and check whether the medication that he/she is prescribing is on the WADA List of Prohibited Substances and Methods. If yes, apply for a TUE (see link below). Get the certificate (usually one or two weeks after application) and bring it with you to competitions.
Please note that you should check the nature of the substance and get a TUE as soon as you get a medication prescribed and not only at the occasion of a competition.
The FAI orders only urine doping tests. But should you be tested under the mandate of another organization like your NADO (National Anti-Doping organization), it can be possible to undergo a blood test.
The person who is officially responsible and will test you is called a Doping Control Officer (DCO). He/she is working for a sample collection agency on behalf of the FAI. You can ask to see his/her authorization letter upon arrival as well as his/her ID card if you wish. This person does not work directly for and is not directly part of the FAI.
Yes you might be tested. All athletes competing at FAI Events are subject at any time during the competition to in-competition testing ordered by the FAI or by the athlete's NAC or by any other Anti-Doping Organization responsible for testing at a competition or event in which they participate.
A Doping Control Officer (DCO) will come to you and ask you to give a urine sample. You can be chaperoned (accompanied) by one person if you wish. The DCO will ask you to fill in the official papers and provide the samples in the toilets.
Should you be under medication and benefit from a TUE, please mention it.
Your samples will be sealed in your presence and sent to a WADA accredited laboratory in strict confidence and will be tracked to ensure their security.
The Doping Control Officer is officially mandated for this mission and you can fully trust him/her.
During the sample collection, you will give two samples : A and B. Usually, only A sample is examined. If you are tested positive (called Adverse Analytical Finding – AAF), you have the right to ask for the B sample to be examined if you wish to be sure whether there was a mistake or not.
If it is confirmed that your sample is positive, the results will all go to the FAI Anti-Doping Manager who will set up an Doping Review Panel and study your case. You will be informed of all the steps being followed.
Prohibited substances are often included in medication. Therefore, should you take any medication for medical reasons, please go and ask your doctor to check whether the medication is on the Prohibited List published by WADA.
Be careful that dietary and nutritional supplements can also include prohibited substances. Be careful and ask your doctor for advice about these also.
Alcohol in air sports is prohibited in competition for obvious civil aviation legal and safety reasons. This means that you could be tested positive if you are tested during a competition. Units of alcohol are an inexact guide because the definition varies between countries. However, in many countries there is a legal limit of 0.50g/l for driving motor vehicles. Sound practical advice is to stay strictly within this driving limit during the evening prior to any competitive air sport event and within legal limits as defined by civil aviation authorities during your flying activities. This will provide an assurance that the WADA limit will not be breached if you are tested the following morning.
But be careful that alcohol is dangerous for your health in general.
Under the World Anti-Doping Code (the document harmonizing anti-doping rules in all sports), WADA has an obligation to coordinate anti-doping activities and to provide a mechanism to assist stakeholders with their implementation of the Code. The Anti-Doping Administration & Management System (ADAMS) was developed for this purpose. It is a Web-based database management system that simplifies the daily activities of all stakeholders and athletes involved in the anti-doping system—from athletes providing whereabouts information, to anti-doping organizations ordering tests, to laboratories reporting results, to anti-doping organizations managing results. It is easy to use, secure, compliant with data privacy rules, available in several languages, and free to WADA's stakeholders, increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of the fight against doping in sport.
Athletes, like anyone, may have illnesses or conditions that require them to take particular medications. If the medication an athlete is required to take to treat an illness or condition happens to be on the Prohibited List, a Therapeutic Use Exemption (TUE) may give that athlete the authorization to take the needed medicine.
RTP means "Registered testing pool" and defines a group of athletes selected to be in this pool and subject to out-of-competition testing. Whereabouts is information provided by a limited number of top elite athletes included in the RTP about their location to the FAI or National Anti-Doping Organization (NADO) that included them in their respective registered testing pool as part of these top elite athletes' anti-doping responsibilities.
If you are part of the FAI Registered Testing Pool (RTP) and only if you are part of this pool, then you will have provided your whereabouts and may be tested out-of-competition which means that it can be early in the morning (but only from 6:00 am onwards) at your home or later on at your training place, and so on.
You can of course contact your club or your NAC (FAI Member in your country) but as they might not have exhaustive knowledge about anti-doping matters, we advise you to contact the FAI Anti-Doping Manager anytime you have a question (antidoping[at]fai.org).
FAI Anti-Doping Manager : Mrs. Ségolène ROUILLON
+41 21 345 10 70 / e-mail


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From RPM:
Immediately after Traxxas released the X-Maxx, RPM customers started notifying us that they needed stronger A-arms that could handle the weight and the punishment these massive trucks can dish out. We reviewed numerous photos of damage to stock A-arms to see where the weak points were, then reviewed a set of new A-arms to see what we could do to improve both strength and durability.
The result… Our new X-Maxx A-arms are designed to be the strongest, lightest arms available! Starting with the upper A-arm, we used our proven A-arm designs from past successful builds to create an upper support structure sure to handle anything you can throw at it! Our lower A-arm has better ground clearance than stock A-arms and has a cross section based off of our proven 1:5 scale HPI Baja A-arms so you know they're tough! We've also created a double support beam on the lower arms to spread impact energy over a larger area, meaning hard hits won't force you into the "walk of shame". They're also universal fit, which means they'll fit on any corner of your truck! No more worrying which arm fits where.
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Favorites, Lists, and Tags in the Library Catalog
If you loved the January post on Getting Organized in the New Year, check out this post from Jutta Seibert's History and Sociology blog: Falvey Favorites, Tags, and Lists. Here's a preview:
Have you ever wondered what those cute little hearts in the library's catalog could do for you? Did you notice that some catalog records are tagged? Favorites and tags can be used in different ways to organize books into lists for personal use or to share them with students and colleagues. Here is a short overview of the functionality of these catalog features.
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After our redesign, WPBv4, we spent some time doing performance optimization (still some work left to do). After doing some optimization, we saw a major performance improvement on the site. It was noticeable enough that our users emailed us asking about it. We've heard your requests, and a complete guide on what we did to speed up our site will be up very soon. Even though we had covered how to install MaxCDN in our tutorial about W3 Total Cache, we have made some additional changes since then. In this article, we will show you how to install and setup MaxCDN in WordPress.
Here is the email we got from one of our users:
"…the main reason I am contacting you is to ask about site speed. How on earth you manage to speed up your site so fast? The speed is insane and I just loved it."
We did numerous tests using a site called Pingdom. The fastest load time of our homepage was just 483ms. We ran the test numerous times (different hours and datacenters). Our load time range on the homepage was 483ms – 1.7s. Below is one of the screenshots:
A lot went into the performance optimization (reducing HTTP queries such as loading scripts only when they are needed, combining scripts and stylesheets, optimizing images etc). But one of the main components that makes our website load fast and keeps us from crashing is a great WordPress CDN. We are using MaxCDN, and you can our MaxCDN review in our Blueprint section where we explain why we use MaxCDN. If you don't know what is a CDN or why you need a CDN, then you should check out or infographic "What the Heck is a CDN".
Now having that said, in order to follow this tutorial, you MUST have a MaxCDN account. It's very affordable and well worth the money. If you don't have an account, you can sign up now. You can get 25% off using our MaxCDN coupon "wpbeginner"
Video Tutorial
If you don't like the video or need more instructions, then continue reading.
Once you have created your account with MaxCDN, you need to install this free WordPress plugin called W3 Total Cache.
First thing you need to do is login to your MaxCDN account and create a "Pull Zone". To do this, click on the Manage Zones button and then click on "Create Pull Zone" icon.
On the next page, you will be asked to enter the details for your new Pull zone.
- Pull Zone Name: This can be anything without spaces, minimum 3 characters long. Think of this as your username.
- Origin Server URL: Enter the URL of your wordpress blog. Must have "http://" and the trailing slash(/).
- Custom CDN Domain: Use any subdomain for example: cdn.wpbeginner.com
- Label: This is like a description field. It is optional to add a description.
- Compression: We recommend that you enable this as it will save the usage of bandwidth on your account.
Once you click create, you will see a success screen. In that green box, you will have a URL for your CDN. It will look something like "wpb.wpbeginner.netdna-cdn.com". Let's copy this URL and save it in your notepad. We will need to use it in later steps. If you go to your dashboard, you will now see the zone that you have created. Click on the "manage" icon.
Next, you need to click on the "Settings" tab and look at the custom domains.
The goal here is to add multiple subdomains (CNAMEs), so we can improve pipelining performance in the browser. To do this click on the edit button on Custom Domains, and simply add multiple custom domains.
Once you have added the custom subdomains, then simply click update. In the Compression settings, make sure you enable GZip compression.
Now that you have configured your pull zone, take the long CDN url that you got in previous steps which looked like this "wpb.wpbeginner.netdna-cdn.com". We are going to need this to set CNAME records. We will show you how to create the CNAME record using cPanel. Most WordPress hosting providers are using cPanel. Login to your cPanel, then scroll down to the Domains Section and click on Simple DNS Zone Editor.
On this page, you will need to fill out the fields to Add an CNAME Record. The two values you will be required to fill are: Name and CNAME.
- Name: This is the name of your Custom CDN Domain. For example, our custom CDN domain is cdn.wpbeginner.com, so we will put "cdn" in our name field.
- CNAME: This will be URL provided to you by MaxCDN when you created the pull zone. For example: "wpb.wpbeginner.netdna-cdn.com".
Example screenshot:
Repeat this process for all the custom domains you will add. The CNAME value will be the same. All you are changing is the name to like "cdn", "cdn2" etc. Adding the CNAME method may be different if you have a non cPanel host.
Now that you have configured MaxCDN, lets go ahead and integrate it with WordPress. We will need to use the W3 Total Cache plugin. Install and activate the plugin. On the General screen, if you scroll down, you will see the CDN box. Enable CDN and select NetDNA/MaxCDN option.
Save the settings. Now, you will need to go to CDN menu in W3 Total Cache to configure MaxCDN with WordPress. This page will ask you to enter your API ID, API Key, and your custom domain names.
You can get your API ID and Key from your MaxCDN Dashboard. If you go Manage Account » API. Click on add key, and create your key.
Once you configure the W3 Total Cache part, you are good to go. You can click on the Test NetDNA button, and you should be able to get Test passed.
Want to speed up your WordPress? Well, then we recommend that you start using a CDN service like MaxCDN. Use the MaxCDN coupon "wpbeginner" to get 25% off.


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Mona Lisa's Voice Simulated
TOKYO (AP) -- The Mona Lisa may hide many secrets behind her enigmatic smile, but the sound of her voice may no longer be one of them, thanks to the work of a Japanese forensics expert.
Matsumi Suzuki, a forensics scientist specializing in acoustic and voice analysis, says he has recreated the voice of the woman who sat for Leonardo da Vinci's masterpiece, as well as that of the master himself.
Suzuki -- a co-winner of the Ig Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 for promoting harmony between species by inventing the Bow-Lingual, a dog-to-human interpretation device -- undertook the project as part of activities promoting the Japan release of the movie "The Da Vinci Code."
The Ig Nobel awards are presented annually at Harvard University by the Annals of Improbable Research Magazine for research that makes people laugh, then think.
"Normally, we do crime-related research. We recreate the voices of suspects based on information about their physical characteristics, lifestyles, dialects and so on," Suzuki said.
However, his company, Japan Acoustic Lab, also gets the occasional request to recreate the voices of historical personages, he said, so being asked to unravel the Mona Lisa and da Vinci vocal codes was not an unusual request.
For the Mona Lisa, the laboratory worked with a photograph of the painting to get detailed measurements of her face and hands, Suzuki said. They used this data to then recreate her skull and estimate her height, which they put at 5 feet 6 inches, he said.
The data was then run through the lab's voice simulation programs to recreate the vocal cords and other organs that produced the mystery woman's voice and determine its pitch.
A native Italian speaker was also employed to help the lab get the right intonations for the Mona Lisa's voice, he said.
It was unclear, though, if that individual spoke the same Italian dialect as the woman portrayed in the Mona Lisa painting -- whose identity remains unknown.
As for da Vinci, the lab had to base their work on a photograph of the master's self-portrait, Suzuki said. The work was made difficult by da Vinci's very full beard, which obscured elements of his facial structure, he said.
The results can be heard on Microsoft Japan's Web page, which hosted the results in a section promoting the film version of Dan Brown's murder mystery.
"My name is Mona Lisa," she says, according to the Japanese subtitles.
"My real identity is enveloped in mystery. Some say I am Mary of Magdala, Giacondo's wife, Isabela d'Este or the mother of Leonardo da Vinci. And some say that I am Leonardo himself," she adds.
"The one thing all say," her message concludes, "is that I am the most loved woman in the world, the one with the smile full of mystery."
The Mona Lisa's presumptive voice, it can now be said, is a bit on the deep side though not throaty, while that of da Vinci is also deep but more nasal.
Da Vinci began work on the painting in 1503, and it now hangs in the Louvre in Paris.
The work, also known as "La Gioconda," is believed to have portrayed the wife of Francesco del Giocondo. The title is a play on her husband's name, and also means "the jolly lady" in Italian.
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By Kiley Price
By Kiley Price


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Novices to the world of website building can often feel wary about creating their own website, and that is perfectly understandable. Traditionally building a website required a certain degree of technical knowledge not to mention internet experience to make the whole process go according to plan. Now with more and more people wanting to create websites and blogs the process of creating websites has been made easier, thanks to web templates.
Web templates are, briefly, templates that are used to create websites on. They can be templates that are designed by expert developers to be used by businesses to showcase their products and services. These are the more high end web templates and they can be quite costly for businesses to have these types of templates developed. However they are a very effective way of creating a website that can have content added to it whenever a business needs to.
There are other types of more simple to use web templates for novices who just want a way to create a website and add content without any technical know-how. These can be either free or paid for, depending on exactly what the individual is looking for in their website. Not only are these very easy to use the can also be re-used as many times as an individual wants to. This means that anyone who is looking to have their own website can create their own with absolute ease.
One very good example of web templates that is used very frequently is the template that is used to create web pages for the Wikipedia website. Here all users will access the same template and add their own content which can then be publish on the internet.
However the number of pre made web templates is mind boggling and these can be further customized by the users. For instance the background colours can be changed, the font size and type can be changed and images can be added. It is also possible to add MP3s and video's to web templates to add even more information to a website.
As mentioned some web templates are free to access and use whereas others do require a payment either to download them or to gain access to them. If you are wondering which type to use it is a good idea to think about your needs. For example if you are only creating a website for fun you should look towards a free template, whereas if you are wanting to host your own business a paid-for web template is probably more suited. Some of the companies that offer web templates to buy also have hosting facilities which are useful if you want your website to be secure.
So if you want to create a website with ease, even if you have no prior knowledge of the internet think about using web templates. They are easily accessible, can be free to use and help people all over the world to create some great looking websites.


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Yesterday was Food Day at Tufts, and the Dining and Sustainability teams paired up to put together an educational, dairy-themed dinner.
The event took place at both Carmichael and Dewick-Macphie dining halls. The dinners included special foods such as a mountainous tray of brie cheese, and an ice cream sundae bar. Scattered generously across the dining halls were signs containing information on dairy production, dairy products, and the dairy industry. Be it butter, cream, whey, or milk fat, dairy products are found in nearly everything.
The interactive component of the Dewick dinner took place in the form of a crossword puzzle. Students took the puzzle and found the answers posted on the informational signs throughout the dining hall. The signs contained some pretty mind blowing facts and figures about dairy! For example, did you know that the average American eats 46 slices of pizza, and 48 pints of ice cream a year?!
The signs also had information about milk's nutritional content. Milk contains 9 amino acids, and 1 cup contains 16 percent of our daily value of calcium, making it an excellent nutritional source when consumed in moderation. The posters also informed students about some of the more controversial aspects of the dairy industry such as negative environmental impacts and the deceptive, yet influential role played by by the dairy lobbies.
Do you want to test your knowledge of dairy production and consumption? Here are the questions from last night's crossword puzzle. Students who completed the puzzle are eligible to win an ice cream sundae party brought to their room, or an inflatable cow.
Americans most commonly consume which type of milk?
What is the most popular cheese in America?
What is the most popular flavor of ice cream
How many gallons of milk to americans consume, on average, per year?
Vitamin D is added to milk to aid in the absorption of which mineral?
Methane contributes to which process?
Scroll down to the bottom of the page to check the answers!
ǝbuɐɥɔ ǝʇɐɯıןɔ
Communications Team


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Longline Fisheries and Global Warming Could Drive North Pacific Loggerhead Turtles Extinct
SAN FRANCISCO— Conservation groups filed a formal petition today to increase protections for critically imperiled loggerhead sea turtles that occur off the U.S. West Coast and are caught and killed in industrial fisheries based in California and Hawaii. The petition, filed by the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network, seeks to have North Pacific loggerhead sea turtles listed as "endangered" under the federal Endangered Species Act and to have areas along the California coast and off Hawaii designated as "critical habitat" for the species.
Loggerhead sea turtles in the North Pacific nest in Japan, but cross the Pacific to feed in the rich waters off the coast of California and Baja California, Mexico. These ancient animals, which can live for a century or more, have swum the Earth's oceans since the days of dinosaurs. However, in the past 25 years populations have declined by over 80 percent, with fewer than 1,000 females returning to their natal beaches to nest each year.
The primary threat to loggerhead sea turtles is pelagic longline fishing. Longline fishing vessels seeking swordfish and tuna each deploy several thousand baited hooks on fishing lines that can extend for more than 60 miles. Over a billion longline hooks are set in the world's oceans each year, catching and killing not just swordfish and tuna but thousands of sea turtles, seabirds, marine mammals and sharks.
"Sea turtles survived the asteroid that killed off the dinosaurs, but are unlikely to survive longline fishing," said Miyoko Sakashita, ocean program attorney for the Center for Biological Diversity. "This barbaric fishing gear should be banned from our nation's and international waters."
More than 1,000 scientists and 300 organizations from 100-plus countries have called upon the United Nations for a moratorium on pelagic longline fishing in the Pacific Ocean. Unfortunately, rather than head this call, the United States is gearing up to expand such fisheries. Following a successful lawsuit by the Center for Biological Diversity and Turtle Island Restoration Network, in 2004 longline fishing for swordfish was prohibited along the West Coast. However, the National Marine Fisheries Service, the federal agency charged with managing fisheries as well as sea turtles, has proposed to issue a permit that would allow an "experimental" longline fishery for swordfish off the California and Oregon coasts this fall. The permit is the first step toward establishing a full-scale industrial longline fishery off the West Coast. A similar fishery is operated out of Hawaii and is responsible for the deaths of numerous whales in addition to sea turtles.
"Rather than opening the waters off California and Oregon to deadly industrial fishing fleets, we should be protecting these areas as critical habitat for loggerhead sea turtles and other imperiled wildlife," said Todd Steiner, executive director of Turtle Island Restoration Network.
North Pacific loggerheads are geographically isolated and genetically distinct from loggerheads that occur in the Atlantic, Indian and South Pacific Oceans. Loggerhead sea turtles are currently listed as "threatened" throughout their range under the Endangered Species Act. Separate listing of the more imperiled North Pacific loggerheads would trigger additional protections under U.S. law, including the designation of critical habitat.
Read the formal petition here.
More information is available from Turtle Island Restoration Network at www.seaturtles.org and from the Center for Biological Diversity at www.biologicaldiversity.org.
Photo by Dcrjsr.